Friends Stick by Each Other
by AnimeLovesYou
Summary: Wally is abused at home. Each time he arrives at the Cave, he arrives with more bruises and more lies. Soon the lies pile up and the team gets suspicious. They want to know why he keeps coming back with bruises. But will they be in time to pull Wally out of the dark abyss?
1. Chapter 1

At home, the only thing he liked about his powers, was the fact that he could heal quickly. It meant that the bruises that his father gave were mostly gone by the time he went to the Cave. Though his father knew about how fast he could heal, he kept the beatings to places that Wally could easily conceal. Wally sighed and rubbed his green eyes. Of all the parents, he got an abusive dad and a mother who doesn't care.

He opened his bedroom door and peered out. He eyed the kitchen, which was next to the bottom of the stairs. Its door was open and he could see the food that had been set out. His own stomach grumbled loudly, rudely reminding him that all he had today was a sandwich for breakfast. It was now five. He retracted his head back into his bedroom and sat down on his bed. Laying down on the red and yellow cover, he looked vacantly at the ceiling. The sounds from the TV downstairs lazily floated up and occasionally he could hear what the characters were saying. He didn't have to try very hard to picture his mother sitting in front on the screen, her red hair probably unbrushed.

The front door banged open and in stomped his dad. The fifteen year old groaned silently, not wanting his dad to hear him. His body still remembered the beating his father had given him from sighing at his return. His green eyes darted nervously at his school bag. He eyed the white slip of paper that was poking it out slightly. On it was his grades for all of his subjects. He pleaded with every deity he had learnt in Religious Education, that his father wouldn't ask for the paper.

"Wally, get your ungrateful ass down here," His father shouted up to him. "And bring that damn piece of paper."

Wally's heart fell to his stomach. He felt sick with dread. Rolling off the bed, he got his piece of paper and began to walk down the stairs. His eyes kept reading his music grade. The black B stared back at him. He had gotten 89%. He wondered if he could somehow persuade his dad that he was only one percent off getting an A. Highly unlikely. The rule was that he got all As and he wouldn't be beaten. Well, his father broke the rule, beating him up for other, stupider reasons.

He finally walked into the living room, much too quickly for his liking. He handed the piece of paper to his dad, who snatched it out of Wally's hand. Wally glanced at his mother, pleading with his eyes for her to help him. As usual, she kept looking at the TV.

"You got a B in music," His father started. Wally winced and looked down at the carpet.

"I got 89% and to get an A you need 90%. I was one off. I'll try harder after the holidays," Wally began his argument. As his father's hand came up to his face, he realised his mistake. Even though he had seen it coming and knew he could easily dodge it, he could actually run to the nearest city and do the shopping, yet he remained still. The force of the blow sent him to the floor. Stars burst across his vision as his head hit the wooded floor.

"How dare you back chat me! And to have the nerve to talk to me like that. Like I'm an idiot!" His father roared at him, kicking Wally as hard as he could in the stomach. Wally groaned and curled up, trying to protect himself. Rudolf stamped down on Wally's ankle, feeling the bone shift slightly.

A foot to his right forearm took him by surprise and he unfurled himself slightly. His father bent down and grabbed his collar. He hefted Wally up on his feet and punched him again in the stomach. He directed one of his fists to Wally's left eye before dropping him to the floor again.

"God damn it. Why are you so pathetic? All I wanted was an intelligent boy. I wish I had Robin for a son, he would never disappoint me!" Rudolf sneered at Wally, walking off to the kitchen. Wally looked at his mother, begging her to help him. She sighed and finally looked at him.

"This is your own fault Wallace. You know he gets angry when you don't have good grades. He's trying his hardest to give you a good life. He wants you to have the best education. But if you don't try then it'll all be for nothing! I wish you would try harder," His mother told him. "But you're too busy with your stupid superhero friends, you don't bother with your school work."

Wally watched, from his position on the floor, as she left the room, taking away more of his hope. The smell of food wafted over him and his stomach grumbled loudly. He winced, wishing for something to eat. He turned his head slightly and just about managed to see his mother and father at the table eating food. They seemed happy, smiling and talking to each other. Wally felt his heart stop for a second. Maybe they would be happier with him out of the picture. Forever.

The stars crept across his vision making him feel more disorientated. The blow to his head must have been worse than he had thought. He brought a shaking hand to the side of his head, feeling the lump that had already formed. His hand felt weak and he kept feeling dizzy. His hand fell to the floor with a thump as the world began to spin even more. Wally closed his eyes, trying to will away the spinning. Even with his eyes closed, the world kept spinning. Unable to keep a grip on consciousness, Wally slipped into darkness.

When he awoke, Wally noticed the world outside the window was dark. The TV was off for once and he couldn't see his parent's car in the drive way. He held his breath, listening for any sign of his parents. When nothing came back to him, he let out the breath he was holding and slumped back down on the floor. A dull vibrating noise caught his attention. Wally lifted his head up again and listened intently. It was coming from his room. It wasn't his phone, he didn't have one. Eyes widening, Wally realised it was his comm. He pushed himself up, his right arm bending at the elbow, unable to support his weight. He tried again, putting more weight on his less injured left arm and managed to stand up. His whole body swapped from dizziness, and for a split second he thought he was about to fall down again. Once the dizziness had faded to the point he could ignore it, he limped out of the room and up the stairs, the bone in his ankle not properly healed.

By the time he was upstairs, he was panting and the dizziness had yet to fade completely. Wally stumbled to his room, supporting himself by the wall. He managed to get to his desk and pick up his comm.

"Hey," Wally said, trying to speak in the upbeat way Kid Flash spoke.

"Dude where have you been? We've been trying to contact for the last ten minutes!" Robin's voice filled his ear.

"Fastest kid my ass." Wally over heard Artemis' snide comment about him.

"Not helping Artemis," Aqualad told her. "Where have you been Wally? You did not turn up to training today."

"Yeah KF, why weren't you here?" Robin asked. "We have a mission now, are you coming?

"Yeah, I'll be there. Just give me a sec to put my costume on." Wally responded, walking over to his wardrobe and picking out a bright yellow costume. He quickly changed into it. He walked over to the foot of his bed, going to grab to his shoes. As he passed the mirror, he got his first look at himself. His left eye was badly bruised, a black ring engulfing the green. He had a bruised cheek from where his father had slapped him. Fortunately his speed healing had managed to heal the hand mark. He pulled up his top and saw the bruises littered across his whole front, some older than others.

"So, you gonna tell us why you didn't respond?" Robin pried. Wally jumped, forgetting that he still had his comm in his ear.

"Yeah, I was having dinner with my parents. Mum doesn't like me having any superhero stuff at the table, so I take it out, sorry." Wally replied, happy that he had thought of a new excuse. He could probably use that quite a few more times, with his fast metabolism, the whole team will buy it. Well, except for Robin maybe.

"Hurry up Baywatch, we want to get the mission done." Artemis told him. He could hear the frustration in her voice. Wally realised with horror, he wouldn't be able to put anything on the conceal the black eye. It always took him several minutes to apply the make up, and he didn't have the time. Sighing to himself, he put his goggles over his eyes, hoping they would cover it.

Walking downstairs, he managed to grab a sandwich from the fridge, stuffing it down. He walked out of the front door and locked it behind him. He turned and faced the direction Happy Harbour was and began to run. A smile overtook his face, finally being able to do something he liked.

He ran into the Cave, sliding to a halt in front of the team.

"Finally where have you been?" Artemis growled.

"Wally, what happened to your eye?" M'gann gasped upon seeing his eye.

"Aww, babe you're worried over me!" Wally said, not really having the heart to keep up with the façade of him having a crush on her. She was hot but he could tell she had eyes for Superboy.

"Tch, please. I'm pretty sure anyone would ask that when a guy comes in with a black eye and bruised face!" Artemis retorted. Wally winced internally, he didn't think she would have picked up on the bruised face.

"Yes, Wally, what happened?" Aqualad asked, looking at Wally.

"It's really embarrassing," Wally began, wracking his brains to think of something.

"Tell us anyways." Kaldur gently commanded. Wally let of a dramatic sigh.

"I... I sortofaccidentallyranintoapole!" He said in a rush. The team looked at him puzzled, trying to understand what he had said. Robin burst out laughing, being the first to understand Wally.

"He ran into a pole!" Robin explained to everyone.

"Only he could do something like that!" Artemis said.

"Alright everyone. Lets get going on the mission." Kaldur said, leading them to M'gann's ship. Robin stayed behind as the rest followed him.

"Kid Flash," Robin used his full name, causing Wally to stop and look at him. "You okay?"

"Of course dude!" Wally said, trying to convince his best friend he was okay.

"Well, just remember, you can talk to me about anything." Robin said. Wally smiled at him and turned on his heel, running to catch up with the rest of the team. _'Rob, if only I could tell you.'_ He thought sadly to himself, his father's words ringing in his ears. Wally didn't blame his father for saying that. Anyone would rather have Robin, a genius, as a son, than him, an irritating boy who couldn't keep his mouth shut. _'If only I could.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Wally looked out of the window, watching the world zoom by. The others were talking to each other, Aqualad briefing them on who the criminal was, their powers. Wally had long since tuned them out. He was thinking of the homework he had to do later that night. Most of his teachers were kind enough not to set any homework for the holiday, but some evil ones like Mrs Smith had set boring homework.

Wally was looking forward to the holiday. Less people staring and asking about his bruises, less people to lie to. Even though he did it so often, Wally hated lying. Even now, after eight years of doing it, the words still made him sick. Of course the holiday did have its bad sides. A whole week with his parents, from dawn till dusk. With him being on holiday, Wally knew his father was going to hit him harder and more, knowing that Wally would have healed mostly by the time he would go back to school. Wally had begun an argument, wanting to persuade his aunt Iris to let him stay over. So far he had two points; it would mean that Flash and Kid Flash would be able to do more together and he will have more time to practise with his speed.

A not-so-gentle nudge from Artemis brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" He asked, a tad too harsh. He regretted it the moment he saw the look of surprise in the blonde archer's eyes. And ... was that alarm?

"Hey, don't get so moody at me. I just wanted to see if you were okay!" Artemis snapped. Superboy looked over his shoulder at them, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you're an idiot but I've seen how fast you can react. Your reflexes are most likely the fastest in the whole group. They're probably faster than Robin's and that's saying something! So I want to know how you ran into a pole!" Artemis whispered, not wanting to gain any more attention. Wally sighed, he really didn't want to go through this again. His head was hurting again and the dizziness had begun to return.

"Look, you don't understand. Yes, my reflexes are fast, but no way are they as fast as Robin's. When I'm running fast, everything's a blur. I can't do sudden halts like Flash. If I see something in my way, then I have to change the direction I'm running in to avoid it. I wasn't paying attention when I ran here, so by the time I saw the pole, it was too late to stop." Wally explained. He had run into poles enough times to sound confident, yet the words still made acid trickle down his throat.

Artemis opened her mouth, about to speak, when Aqualad interrupted her.

"We are here." His calm words carried around the now parked ship. Artemis threw Wally a look that told him that the discussion was far from over. She undid her belt and walked out of the ship, Wally following her.

The jungle they were in was massive. Animals flashed in front of Wally's eyes, his brain giving him their scientific names. The jungle was alive with all the animals, and for a few seconds the noise was unbearable, especially for Superboy's super hearing. They gradually got used to the noise, it beginning to fade in volume. M'gann set up a telepathic link. In their heads, Aqualad told them to group up in threes. Wally zipped over to M'gann.

"Bagsy being with you beautiful." He told her, giving her a half smile.

"Sorry Kid, but M'gann, Superboy and I will be one team. You, Robin and Artemis will be the other team." Aqualad informed him. Wally tried not to let his emotions reach his face. He was stuck with the two post observant people of the whole team. Just his luck.

Robin touched a button on his left gauntlet, and a map appeared above his wrist.

"We are here. The last time Tempest was spotted was here," Robin pointed at a spot next to a wide lake. "Our team will act as a decoy, distracting Tempest until M'gann, Superboy and Aqualad are in place. They will attack from his back, and take him out."

The team nodded their understanding and went in opposite directions. Wally walked next to the two non-powered heroes, wanting badly just to run. He looked down at his stealth costume. He loathed the colour black. It reminded him of betrayal and hurt, of hope lost. It reminded Wally of the bruises his father gave to him.

"Oi, Baywatch, get your head out of the clouds, we're almost here." Artemis snapped at him. Wally looked at her and stuck his tongue out at the archer. She raised an eyebrow at his childish behaviour.

"Alright you two! KF, you're gonna go first, hit him hard and hit him fast. You're gonna be the closest to him, so stay on your guard. Keep Tempest away from the water, his powers grant him the ability to create powerful, windy storms, hence his name. Artemis, you're gonna stay here, use your long distance bow to get an advantage. I'll be in the middle." Robin explained. He nodded at Wally, the sign to tell Wally to move out. Wally zoomed out of the shrubbery, towards the lake.

Within seconds Wally saw Tempest. With his back to Wally, Tempest still hadn't seen him yet. Wally sped up, and drew his hand back. With all him might, he threw his fist forward, catching Tempest in the middle of his navy blue back. Tempest flew into the jungle, the force of the hit sending him off his feet. Wally slowed down, panting. He rested his hands on his knees as black spots began to appear in his vision.

"What's going on with Kid?" Artemis asked Robin, her voice tinged with worry.

"I.. I don't know, he's never been out of breath after such a short sprint." Robin replied, his masked eyes wider than normal. Suddenly Tempest crashed out of the jungle and back into the clearing. Wally, who was still panting, only noticed Tempest when he was a foot away. Realising he didn't have enough time, he threw his hand up and stiffening his body, waiting for the blow. A whistling sound flew above him and there was a sudden explosion. Looking up, Wally saw Artemis standing up, her bow in her hand.

"KF, what happened?" Robin asked, standing next to him. He placed a black gloved hand on Wally's shoulder, looking down on his friend with concern.

"It's nothing really, stop worrying." Wally told him. Robin raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak again. With a roar, Tempest charged at them. Robin summersaulted backwards, out of harms way. Wally, using his speed, sprinted past him. He then ran back at him, but Tempest turned and grabbed him. Tempest spun round, using KF momentum and threw him into Robin. Robin leapt of the way just in time.

"Dude are you okay? You're really slow!" Robin asked, Artemis covering them with her arrows.

"Yeah, I'm just hungry." Wally replied.

"But you had dinner just twenty minutes ago. That was why you were so late!" Robin said, eyebrows furrowing. Wally knew that Robin had put what he said earlier and what he had said now together. Wally also knew he was going to be in big trouble, Robin was his best friend and he was always looking out for him.

"Hey, are you going to stay there and make me do all the work or what?" Artemis yelled at them. The two boys stood. Robin began to open his mouth. Wally, fearing what he was about to say, sprinted off. He ran towards Tempest and cannon balled him. The impact sent the villain back several metres. Wally pushed off by his fingers and sprinted at him again, leaping at the last moment, and landing his feet on the grey clouds that were on Tempest's chest. He bent his legs and pushed off, momentum of his sprint and his kick sending the dark blue man even further away. Wally flipped himself in midair, landing on his feet.

_'Everyone, we are in position. We've decided that Superboy will be the one to attack first. If you keep him busy for long enough, Superboy will be able to defeat him in one go!'_ M'gann told them in their minds.

_'Alright then. KF, you're closest to him, keep him distracted for a few more seconds._' Robin told Wally.

Tempest stood up from the crater that he had made and stretched out his hands, towards the water. The blue liquid began to move, gaining speed. It rose up, spinning in circles. Wally and Robin watched as it began to grow up, spinning even more rapidly. Within mere moments it had become a massive hurricane.

"KF, cancel it out!" Robin ordered. Wally began to run in circles, creating a tornado. Still running around, he crashed the air into the water. As he did another lap at the base of the spinning air, he saw Superboy in the air, gravity pulling him down. Wally calculated where he would land and saw it was near to Tempest. Wally turned his attention back on the hurricane, spinning the air faster than the water. He could tell that the hurricane was taking up all of Tempest's attention. Pushing himself to run faster, the hurricane began to recede. Wally grinned to himself, making sure that Tempest was distracted. He heard a crash and then the hurricane stopped spinning. Wally slowed down slightly then took of towards the shore of the lake.

He slowed to a stop in front of Superboy. Tempest was knocked out cold, laying by his feet.

"Well done Supes!" Wally congratulated. The dizziness had returned ten fold, his running around in circles not helping. M'gann de-camouflaged herself and walked over to the two, Aqualad a short distance behind her. Wally looked at his right, seeing Artemis and Robin talking. Using his googles, he zoomed in on them. They both looked worried for some reason, and kept looking in his direction. Robin met his eyes for a second. Wally knew he was busted. Robin turned to Artemis and said something, then walked off. Wally knew, with some dread, they were talking about him. Most likely about his poor performance.

"Well done Kid, that was good work, both distracting Tempest and cancelling the hurricane out!" Aqualad praised Wally. Wally smiled his thanks. His stomach rumbled loudly, drawing the attention of Superboy.

"Hehe, I'm just a tad hungry. Running sure does take a lot of energy!" Wally explained to him.

"You have an energy bar in your right compartment." Superboy told him.

"Yeah, I was in a rush, kinda forgot to put a bar in." Wally told him. In actual fact he had ate all of the bars from all of his suits yesterday, when his father had told him he wasn't having any dinner, as a punishment for his messy bedroom. Wally's room was much more tidier than any other boy's room he had ever gone to.

Superboy slid his hand into one of his trouser pockets. Bringing his hand out, an energy bar was nested inside. Wally's face lit up like a Christmas tree as Connor gave it to him.

"Really? Thanks so much!" Wally exclaimed, taking a massive bite of it. He closed his eyes in bliss. He quickly devoured the whole bar, much to the amusement of Connor. By the time Robin and Artemis had joined them, M'gann's bio-ship had flown over to their new location. Wally didn't want to be anywhere near the two, having a feeling they would call him out for his lies. The moment the ship door was open, he zoomed in and jumped onto the seat closest to the centre.

"You seem to be in a rush!" M'gann said sweetly.

"I just want to go home and sleep," Wally told her truthfully, adding a wink in there." You can come and join me if you want."

M'gann laughed slightly and politely declined. Superboy sat next to him, on his right. Wally sighed in relief, it meant that neither Robin or Artemis could sit next to him. His secret was safe for a little while longer. Artemis, Robin and Aqualad trickled slowly in. Once she was sure everyone had their seat belts on, M'gann ordered the ship to fly. The ship soared over the jungle tops and into the night sky.

Thirty minutes later, the cave doors came into view. The metal doors slide open and M'gann carefully landed the plane. Once the ship was stationary, Wally jumped out of his seat and ran out of the ship. He stopped at the kitchen and grabbed the container of cookies. He guzzled them down then ran to the briefing room. Batman was already waiting for them there. Batman raised an eyebrow at Wally's appearance, wondering where the rest of the team was. The sound of their voices echoed into the room and soon they appeared as well. They walked up to Wally and stood in a line in front of him.

"Well," Batman began. Aqualad stepped forward and began to debrief him. Once he had explained everything that happened, Batman nodded. "You lot did good. It's good to see that you are using different tactics, and changing the person who attacks the villain the most. You are dismissed."

The team all walked away, into the living room. The big TV was turned on, and the group began to sit down on the green sofa. Wally, however, didn't. He returned the plastic container back to the kitchen and the walked to the zeta-tube.

"Wally where are you going?" Robin asked, noticing him at the door way.

"I'm going home, I'm tired." A real yawn ended the sentence. Wally knew that Robin knew the difference between a fake yawn and a real yawn. The real yawn added to his favour.

"But you can sleep in your bedroom in the cave," M'gann told him. "That way you can still watch some of the movie with us and then go to bed."

"I really would love to, but Mum made a really big dinner for when I get home after the mission. I don't want her to feel disappointed that I didn't eat it!" Wally lied. He silently scoffed at the idea. His mother would never do anything like that.

"Oh, then you have to go. I know how it feels when your cooking doesn't go as well as planned!" M'gann told him, remembering all the failed attempts at cookies. Wally smiled her.

"Thanks babe!" He told her, then typed in the destination he wanted to go to. The automatic voice read out his destination and his designation. Wally was surrounded by the bright white light then disappeared.

"Something is wrong with him," Robin stated when he was sure he had left. At his friends' puzzled looks he explained further. "He was out of breath when he had ran less than 30 metres. Earlier, he said that the reason he was late was because he had had dinner with his parents, yet when he explained why he was out of breath after the 30 metre dash, he said he was just hungry. He's lying."

"Then there's the fact he came in here with a black eye and bruised face. Wally said he ran into a pole, but no way is that true. He may be an idiot, but he can't _that_ stupid. He has to be hiding something." Artemis added.

Superboy opened his mouth then closed it. He did it again, then looked away.

"What is it Connor?" M'gann gently pried.

"Well, it's just that he didn't have an energy bar in his compartment. After that mission where he didn't have food for more than 30 hours, he always makes sure that he had food on him; we all make sure he has food with him. But today he didn't have any food," Superboy told them. "He said he was too much in a rush to grab a bar, but I don't think it would take long to get a bar, even if you don't have super speed."

"I agree with Robin. With all this new information, it is clear that something is wrong with our friend. Artemis' and Connor's points seem to further it. Whatever it is, I am sure Wally will tell us if it is serious. I think it is best that we do not force it out of him. If he wants to tell us then it will be his decision, we want him to trust us. However, we will take action if we believe it to serious. Agreed?" Aqualad told the team. They nodded.

Wally walked out of the church doors. It had been abandoned for many years, no one ever came near here, so it was a good place to put the zeta-beam. The garden was over grown, weeds splitting the pavement. Wally wasn't sure how many people from the Justice League actually used this Zeta-beam. Seeing as it was in Central City, the only two superheroes who lived and worked in the city, were Flash and Kid Flash, who could just run to the city. Wally liked to think that he was the only one he knew about it, though Batman would know and all who made and installed the zeta-beams.

Sighing, he walked out of the plot of land and ran back to his house. It had been a bad day, but a good night. He wasn't sure what the time was, somewhere around 9:30 he guessed. Walking in through the door, his cheery mood dropped. His father was waiting for him at the foot of the steps. Next to his feet were several bottles of alcohol. That was a bad sign, his dad never held back when he was drunk.

"Where have you been young man?" He growled. Wally swallowed and didn't answer, afraid that he would just make it worst. His dad jumped to his feet and staggered to him. Rudolph entered Wally's personally space and Wally inwardly winced at the smell of alcohol on his father's breath.

"You went out without telling us. Imagine how worried your mother was. You could have at least left us a note!" Rudolph shouted at Wally. Wally didn't believe what he said to be true, but didn't dare contradict him.

In one of his hands, Rudolph held an empty glass bottle. He brought his hand up, and smashed it against Wally's shoulder, breaking the bottle. He changed his grip on the bottle and leered at Wally.

"You deserve to be punished." Rudolph told his son, the sharp point of the glass bottle pointed towards Wally. Wally looked at him, fear in his green eyes. His father had never cut him with a sharp object. Wally always thought that his father would never do that. As his father advanced towards him, Wally began to think that his father was going to step over another line. He closed his eyes, the last thing he saw was his father's raised hand, the glass point, pointing at him.


	3. Chapter 3

Wally kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see his father stab him. If he saw him, then Wally knew he would lose all hope. Wally clenched his eyes, his brain taking him to a different place, to a time where they were all happy.

_Wally ran into the living room. His dad was sitting on the sofa watching the football. Wally ran up to him, a smiled stretched from one cheek to the other, crinkling his freckles in a cute way. His vibrant red hair stuck out if all directions and his eyes held so much life._

_"Daddy! Daddy! Look, I got one hundred percent on a paper that a fourteen year old would do!" A seven year old Wally told his dad. Wally thrust the piece of paper to his father. Rudolf gently took the white paper out of his son's hands. His eyes quickly scanned through it, drawing to the red 100%! that was circled at the bottom. A massive grin broke out of his face._

_"Well done son!" Rudolf praised, leaning down and picking up his son. Rudolf held him in his arms, spinning him around in circles in the living room. Wally's laughter filled the room, his father's deeper chuckles following. A tired woman walked into the room. Looking at the father and son that looked so similar, a smile broke out of her face. Even though she was tired, the sight brought a smile to her face. Her two boys looked so happy._

_"What's the occasion that's got you acting like a pair of clowns?" She asked gently. Rudolf flashed her a smile, setting Wally down onto the floor. Wally swayed, before running towards her, veering off path slightly._

_"I did a science paper that a fourteen year old would do, and I got 50 out of 50!" Wally exclaimed. His mother looked at his in astonishment, her hand going up to her chest. A smile soon broke out and she bent down, pulling little Wally into a hug._

"_Wow! What a clever son I've got!" She exclaimed. Wally smiled, beaming from the praises. Rudolf took Wally by the shoulder, steering him out of the door._

_"Lets play some soccer!" Rudolf said. Wally grinned and ran into the garden, getting the battered ball. He kicked it to his father, who stopped it and kick it back. His mother looked on, by the kitchen window. Half an hour later, when both males were sweaty and thirsty, his mother came out, carrying a tray with two cups of water in them. Rudolf took them and gave one to Wally. He wrapped an arm around Mary, bringing her closer to him. Rudolf lent in and gave his wife a kiss. Wally, being the kid he was, 'ewww'ed in disgust, making his parents laugh._

Wally was jerked out of his memories as the sharp point came down into his stomach. Rudolf pulled the glass bottle out then smashed it back into Wally, higher this time. The point of the bottle hit Wally's xiphoid process. For few seconds, the point stayed there, the bone plate stopping the point. Rudolf's eyes flashed, and with new strength, plunged the point through the bone. Wally slumped over, the blood pouring out of the two wounds. He looked up at his father with wide, shocked eyes. Rudolf jerked his arm back, pulling the point, that had been lodged in Wally's breast plate, out of the bone. The point came out of Wally's chest, covered in blood.

Wally fell to the ground, not registering the pain in his knees. He kept looking at his father, shaking from the pain. He looked down at his chest. The white circle in the middle of his had turned red, blending in with the red lightning strike. The blood began to spread around the fabric of his costume, turning the yellow completely red. Soon the pain became unbearable and Wally passed out in the hall, his blood beginning to pool around his broken body. Rudolf looked down at his son. He kicked him once in the stomach, right where he had stabbed him. When Wally didn't reply, he kicked him harder.

"Wally. Get up! Stop playing around. Get up you worthless brat!" Rudolf shouted at him. When Wally didn't stir, Rudolf began to panic, kicking his son with renewed strength. Rudolf heard a distinct crack, as a few of Wally's ribs cracked. Rudolf staggered back, his eyes wide. He licked his dry lips, fear beginning to turn his eyes darker. Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the house, into the garage and sat in the car, driving away.

Wally lay there, blood pooling around him, staining the beige rug a rusty red. Tears streaked down his pale cheeks, his bright freckles clashing with his pale cheeks. His breathing was shaky and unstable. Soon Wally began to feel numb, floating above the pain. Wally welcomed the numbness, wanting desperately to get away from it. He let the darkness wash all of his senses, the noises around him blurring into nothing. Wally let himself smile. Finally. Finally he would be away from the pain.

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, over a thousand views! I want to say thank you to all who have read this story and have waited for me to update, which I have been doing waaaaayyy too slowly. It means a lot to me! And on the subject on updating: I am so so sorry! I told people that I would have updated the story by the end of last week, but I didn't. I'm really sorry, I've been busy watching movies (Mocking Jay Part 1) and doing homework and decorating! Every time I sat down to write the chapter, it was time for tea or something like that! However, I have already began to write the next chapter and I promise on my Otaku Honour, that it will be finished and posted by Friday!


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Wally felt was the pain. It was awful, it seeped into every pore of him, every part of his essence was on fire from the never ending pain. It obliterated him, tore him apart only to pull his shredded parts back again, this cyclical cycle never ending. With much effort, Wally pried open his eyes. For several minutes, the white blinded him. Wally blinked several times, trying to regain focus. The whiteness around him caused his heart to stop beating. _Was this a hospital?_ The thought terrified Wally. If he was in hospital, then they would ask how he got the injuries. The authorities will get suspicious and will eventually find out it was his father. Fear bubbled in his chest. They will take his father away, driving the dagger further between his family, splitting it apart even more.

Wally's eyes began to focus. A ginger head slowly came into shape. Squinting, Wally realised it was his mother. Looking further around, he noticed he was in the bathroom, and not in a hospital. His chest felt light with relief and his body slumped slightly. A stinging sensation in his chest brought him back to the reality he had managed to escape for a few brief seconds.

Wally made his head lower, taking in his chest. His mother had managed to get rid of his top half of his costume, and was wrapping white bandages across his torso. There was a thick white pad that covered both of his stabs, blood already soaking through it. Wally looked into his mother's eyes. His jade eyes, which he inherited from his mother, pleaded with her. It was an attempt to get her to snap out of this state of mind. Wally begged her silently to take him to the hospital and file a report against his father. Mary looked at him for a split second, before concentrating back on the bandage.

Wally felt all the strength drain out of his body. With dull, lifeless eyes, he stared at the wall, resting his head on the toilet rug. He was dimly aware of the cold tiles pressing against his bare back, but didn't give it much notice. He too busy trying to desperately hold the tears at bay. _Big boys don't cry! Only faggots cry!_ His father's image flashed across his mind. He remembered those beatings. His father would beat him and if Wally cried, Rudolf would do it again, only harder.

His mother tied the bandage, cutting off the bit she hadn't used. She looked everywhere except Wally.

"Wally, why? Why must you do this? Stop provoking your father!" Mary told her son. Wally noted her eyes shone differently, no longer cloudy. Most likely because she had done something she knew how to do. Something that she used to do before it all went wrong.

Mary stood up, packing the items methodically back into the first aid kit. She cleaned her hands, and threw away all the bloodied towels, her nurse training kicking in. She spared one last glance at the boy laying at her feet, then walked out of the bathroom, down the stairs, towards the family room. She picked the remote off the glass table and turned the T.V on, clicking onto her favourite channel. Within seconds she was immersed with the fake reality, completely forgetting about the boy in the bathroom above her, bleeding from the injuries her own husband had given him.

Wally looked through the window, at the star lit sky. His whole body felt heavy. He knew the dangers. He had lost a lot of blood and even if he had had a full meal, he would still be in a critical condition. He tried to forget about food, but his stomach still rumbled at the aspect of it. His eye lids grew heavy and Wally began to fight to keep them open. He knew the risks. His body was probably going into shock. If he fell asleep, there was a good chance he would never wake up. Wally bit his lower lip, clenching his eyes shut as another wave of pain hit him. His healing factor was beginning to kick in, sewing the torn flesh together. That still didn't mean it didn't hurt. '_Flash wouldn't feel the pain. He's so much faster than me, he wouldn't even know he's been stabbed twice. Hell, he isn't weak enough to get stabbed in the first place.'_ Wally thought bitterly._'I'm useless! I'm just slowing Uncle Barry down, no wonder he's trying his hardest to avoid me. He's embarrassed to call me his side kick. I would do the whole world a good thing by dying.'_ Wally stopped resisting the urge to sleep, letting its silky hands pull him into the darkness, whispering promises of how he wouldn't feel a thing anymore.

* * *

><p>"Barry!" Iris scolded her husband, smacking his hand away from the cookies. He whined, shaking his hand. Iris rolled her eyes, smiling at her husband's childish antics. "Those are for Wally."<p>

"Oh, come one Iris, lemme make sure they're perfect for Wally!" Barry tried to persuade his wife. Iris just folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. He sighed in defeat, his broad shoulders drooping slightly. Iris laughed at him, shooing him out of the kitchen.

"Get changed! You have patrol with Wally in a few more minutes!" Iris gently reminded Barry.

"I'm the fastest man in the world, I'm not going to be late!" Barry smirked. Iris sighed, face palming slightly. Barry smiled, pulling her into his strong arms and kissing her.

"Barry! Go!" Iris told her, laughing the entire time. With the mission accomplished (to make his lovely wife of five months laugh) Barry zoomed up to his bathroom, closed all the blinds, then changed into his Flash costume. He ran down the stairs and into the cosy kitchen. Iris placed the last cookie in the plastic tub and placed the blue lid on it. She handed it to him.

"This is for Wally. You don't get any, unless Wally offers you one!" Iris sternly told him.

"But what if I get hungry on the way to his house?" Barry whined.

"Barry, I want you to spend more time with him! Yeah I know you're scared you're gonna blab to him about it, but you keep avoiding him, constantly! Spend more time with him, he's probably thinking you don't need him anymore!" Iris told him, growing serious. Barry sighed and nodded. He knelt down, making himself the height of Iris' belly. He placed his hand on her stomach, a smile stretching his face.

"I want you to be a surprise for Wally! Now don't cause your mummy any grief while I'm gone, you got that?" Barry spoke into Iris' stomach. Iris laughed, and slapped him away.

"The baby is only two months old, it's not gonna give me any grief," She told him. The clock on the wall struck nine AM. "Now go and patrol Central City with Wally. And spend some time with him."

Barry threw her a smile, then ran out of his house, speeding over to where Wally lived. He thought about how he was going to tell Wally, how happy Wally was going to be. Barry grinned, knowing it was going to be a great day!


	5. Chapter 5

Wally woke up for the second time. He brought his hands up to rub the sleep out of his green eyes, wincing at the burn that raced from his shoulder down to his chest. Once he had given his eyes a good rub, he left them, letting them slowly refocus. The whiteness of the bathroom blinded him, everything blurring together. Wally sighed in relief, his fears of waking up in a hospital slowly receding. The sound of the T.V wafted up and into his ears. Wally felt a pang of despair, his father had never gone this far. Mary had to use her nurse skills to bandage him up and then she goes back to watching the T.V.

Wally decided not to let that bother him. He got up slowly, his muscles aching from the position he had slept in. Wally stood in front of the mirror and looked at his torso, with lifeless eyes. His hands came up to the knot and slowly undid it. Once the knot was undone, he began to unwrap the white material, passing it from hand to hand. Once the last bit of it slipped off, Wally looked at what his father had done to him. Though small, the wounds were ugly to behold. Wally's speed healing had managed to heal them to some extent. Now he was left with two angry looking red scars that had risen across his chest. Wally traced the scars carefully with his finger, feeling the shiny skin tissue. He knew this way going to take a lot longer to heal, knowing the only food he'll get would be outside the house his lived in. Wally refused to call the place he lived in a home. In his opinion a home was a place that was filled with love and care, not of pain and abuse.

Wally turned away from the mirror and turned the shower on, putting it on cold. He had dealt with enough cuts to know it was less painful to wash in cold water than hot. He stuck his hand in, waiting for a right temperature. Once he got the perfect temperature, his hand retreated. Wally pulled off his trousers and kicked off his boots. Knowing he couldn't bend down without either causing a lot of pain to himself or opening the wounds again, he placed one foot on the toilet seat and took of his sock, repeating the process on the other foot.

Once undressed, Wally walked under the water, closing the glass door behind him. He hadn't locked the door, but using predictive algorithms, knew his father was most likely still in a bar, or passed out in the house. His mother hardly ever came upstairs anymore. The reminder was too painful.

Wally never took long in the shower, most of the time because it was painful. He grabbed the soap and began to massage it gently onto him, taking care around his two new scars. He quickly washed it off, cupping his hands under the spray of water then gently letting it flow onto his chest, taking the spuds with it. He turned off the water and walked out, grabbing a towel. He wiped down his body, taking care around the healing parts of his body. He didn't want to get blood on the towel.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, Wally shuffled out of the bathroom, taking all of his costume. He shuffled into his room and collapsed onto his bed, wetting the front covers slightly. He breathed deeply, his head in the covers. Wally sighed and turned his head, looking at the clock. He bolted up in alarm, a small cry of pain leaving his lips. It was five to nine. Wally had five minutes to get ready for his patrols with Barry. Wally jumped up and scrambled to his wardrobe, grabbing the first costume his hand found. He hastily pulled it on, jumping about to try and keep his balance. He ran to his sock drawer and found one green sock. Searching frantically, he couldn't find a matching sock, and so grabbed the next one he found. He sat down on his bed and brought his leg up to his other knee, resting it on his thigh. He slowly put the sock on, trying not to lean as much. He put the second sock on and stood up.

A dinging noise came from the door. Wally's eyes widened as he tried to locate his running boots, specially designed not to wear from super speed. The door bell rang again but this time someone stood up to get it.

"What do you want?" Rudolf snapped at the man standing on his door way. When he realised it was the Flash, he made a small noise of surprise and tried to back pedal. "Oh it's you, I thought it one of those people who try to sell you things."

Barry smiled at the weak joke. He had never liked Rudolf. He remembered a time when Wally had come over with a massive bruise on his eye. Wally had insisted it was from play fighting with another kid his age, but Barry was a forensic scientist and knew an eight year olds fist was not that big. Yet he hadn't pressed, seeing as wally shrunk in on himself when Barry had tried to question it. He had dealt with a few abuse cases and normally the abuser also abused other members of the family. Barry had never seen a bruise on Mary and had let it go. He did however, never let his guard down when he was close to Rudolf. Something was always screaming at him not to.

"Yeah, I'm just here for Wally." Barry told him, shifting the plastic tub from under his armpit to hold in both hands.

"Oh, okay. He's upstairs, probably brushing his teeth. He did eat a lot for breakfast." Rudolf told him. "I'll go get him."

Rudolf walked back into the house and up the stairs. Wally, who had been listening to the conversation whilst finding his missing boots, quickly zipped into the bathroom. Underneath the sink, Wally saw his missing boots. He grinned at them, putting them on quickly. He picked up a tooth brush and squeezed some toothpaste onto it. He began to brush his teeth just as his father made it to the landing. Rudolf walked into the bathroom.

"Barry is here," Rudolf growled. "Behave yourself around him."

Wally nodded, fear beginning to creep back into his eyes. Rudolf sent him one last glare, then walked downstairs back to Barry.

"He's coming." Rudolf told him.

Wally ran down the stairs, at speed that normal kids could do. His face lit up when he saw Barry, then fell slightly, knowing Barry had been ignoring him slightly.

"Bye mum, bye dad!" Wally called out to his parents and walked out of the door.

"Here, Iris made these for you," Barry told him, handing him the box of cookies. Wally's eyes lit up and he began to drool. He snatched the box out of Barry's hands and began to eat them, not stopping for a breath. Within a minute all forty cookies were gone. Barry looked at him in surprise.

"Wow Wally! How can you eat that after you've had a big breakfast?" Barry asked, surprise and mirth in his voice. Wally shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"Alright, lets go!" Barry told him, running out of the West's drive. Wally followed him, unaware of the angry set of brown eyes that had been spying on him.

"So Squirt, where do you wanna go?" Barry asked, running next to his nephew. Standing a few feet taller him, Barry noticed Wally's pale complexion.

"Hey, are you okay? You look pale," Barry asked, skidding to a halt.

"I'm fine Flash, nothing to worry about!" Wally told him, the acid churning in his stomach.

"Wally, you are getting enough to eat, right? You know the dangers of not having enough food, especially with your metabolism. We don't want to have a rerun of Iowa." Barry told Wally, concern lacing his voice. Wally brushed Barry's hand off his shoulder, pretending it was because he wanted to look cool, and not because Barry's hand was pressing right on a bruise that was extremely sensitive.

"I'm fine Uncle B," Wally used Barry's nickname, wanting to convince him as soon as possible so he could stop with all the lying. "Last one at the ice cream store is a rotten egg!"

Wally zoomed off in a blur of red and yellow. Barry laughed at his retreating back and began to run after him. He made sure he came last, he knew that Wally didn't have much money. Rudolf and Mary were poor, partly because Mary had lost her job and partly from the cost of feeding a speedster. Both Barry and Bruce Wayne had offered to pay the West family the money that Wally spent on food, but the family had politely declined, saying they weren't a charity case. With only one parent working, with lousy pay, Wally didn't get much pocket money. Wally hadn't inherited much from his parents personality wise, but the one of the things he had inherited was his honour. If Wally said he was going to do something, he would do it, no matter how long it would take him. His stubbornness meant that if he had lost the race, he would pay with money he didn't have.

Barry shook his head and slowed down, strolling into the park. He scanned round the park and saw Kid Flash hopping impatiently from one foot to the other, waiting for him. Barry, being the jerk he was, ambled towards the ice cream parlour, stopping for autographs and signing bits of material from the civilians. Once he had finished, he made his way to Wally, who was clearly glaring at him. Barry smiled at him, aggravating him further. Wally 'humph'ed and turned his back on Barry, playing the annoying, moody teenager. The smile slipped off Barry's face when he took in the sight of Wally's ribs protruding slightly from his tight costume. Barry worriedly scanned the rest of Wally's body, and realised he had lost weight. Again. Barry sped up to the ginger teen. He wasn't sure how he was going to talk about this to Wally.

"Finally! What happened, did another lightning bolt strike you and sprayed you with more chemicals? And then lemme guess, you lost your speed!" Wally asked him, sarcasm dripping on his words. Barry laughed and shook his head. He turned to the menu and ordered the biggest ice cream that there was. He looked at Wally, wondering if Wally would take the bait. Wally looked at the menu, glancing at Barry and the menu. Barry noticed Wally kept flicking from the front of the menu to the back, from cheapest and smallest, to most expensive and biggest. He seemed nervous.

"Wally," Barry began softly. "You can have whatever you want, no matter the cost."

Wally still looked unconvinced. Barry sighed, and ordered the same ice cream again. Wally opened his mouth to protest, but Barry put up his hand, silencing him.

"Kid, it's fine. Think of it as a well done present from the last mission. Batman filled me in, your quick thinking helped make sure the mission was a success." Barry told him. Wally let his shoulders sag slightly, showing he had given in.

The waitress placed their ice cream on their glass table, and Wally wasted no time tucking in. Soon he was half way through, whilst Barry hadn't even touched the spoon. Concern flashed through Barry, but he pushed it down, not wanting Wally to see it. He would have a talk with the Team and especially Batman about Wally's diminishing weight.

Ice cream finished, the two superheroes walked around the park, opting to sit on a bench, their backs to the sun, letting the rays warm them up.

"Wally, Iris and I have a really big surprise for you," Barry began, trying to think of how to tell the sometimes oblivious kid next to him.

"Are you going to let me stay over your house for the holiday?" Wally asked, eyes shining with happiness and hope. Wally's whole demeanour changed, something that didn't escape Barry's watchful eyes.

"Errr... Well no that wasn't it," Wally's smile dropped, his eyes losing the emotion in them. "But if you want I can see if Iris would mind you coming around." Barry hastily told him, seeing Wally distancing himself. Barry didn't want Wally to revert back into himself. He had seen Wally's dull eyes for the last few weeks, and he had wanted to put some emotions back into his jade eyes.

"Look at the time, I promised M'gann that I would help her bake cookies. Well I better go!" Wally lied, jumping off the bench and sprinting away. Barry looked on, not bothering to catch him up. Wally wanted some privacy and Barry respected that. Although he was worried about Wally's weight. He sighed, wondering what to do. Maybe he should talk to Batman, he was beginning to feel out of his depth.


End file.
